Nuclear elements of degree 6 in the free alternative algebra

We construct five new elements of degree 6 in the nucleus of the free alternative algebra. We use the representation theory of the symmetric group to locate the elements. We use the computer algebra system ALBERT and an extension of ALBERT to express the elements in compact form and to show that these new elements are not a consequence of the known clegree-5 elements in the nucleus. We prove that these five new elements and four known elements form a basis for the subspace of nuclear elements of degree 6. Our calculations are done using modular arithmetic to save memory and time. The calculations can be done in characteristic zero or any prime greater than 6, and similar results are expected. We generated the nuclear elements using prime 103. We check our answer using five other primes.

Galectin-3 Overexpression in Invasive Laryngeal Carcinoma, Assessed by Computer-assisted Analysis

The larynx is the most common site of malignancy in the upper aerodigestive tract. In Brazil, malignant laryngeal lesions represent 2% of all cancers, with similar to 3000 annual deaths. The association between human papillomavirus (HPV) and laryngeal cancer is still controversial. The aim of the present retrospective study was to determine the expression of galectin-3 immunoperoxidase in laryngeal carcinoma by examining paraffin-em bedded larynx biopsies from 65 patients, 10 in situ laryngeal carcinomas, 27 laryngeal carcinomas without metastases, and 28 with metastases. Twenty-eight cervical lymph nodes from patients with metastatic lesions were also evaluated. Nested PCR was performed to detect and type HPV DNA. Galectin-3 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry using a computer-assisted system. Among 65 patients, 55 (84.6%)were positive to beta-globin (internal control); 10 (15.4%) patients were beta-globin negative and were excluded from the HPV evaluation. Thus, 7 (12.7%) out of 55 patients were HPV positive and 48 (87.3%) out of 55 patients were HPV negative. High expression of galectin-3 was observed in invasive laryngeal tumors, suggesting that galectin-3 could be associated with the invasiveness and aggressiveness of laryngeal carcinomas. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:665-673, 2009)

Nonhomogeneous subalgebras of Lie and special Jordan superalgebras

We consider polynomial identities satisfied by nonhomogeneous subalgebras of Lie and special Jordan superalgebras: we ignore the grading and regard the superalgebra as an ordinary algebra. The Lie case has been studied by Volichenko and Baranov: they found identities in degrees 3, 4 and 5 which imply all the identities in degrees <= 6. We simplify their identities in degree 5, and show that there are no new identities in degree 7. The Jordan case has not previously been studied: we find identities in degrees 3, 4, 5 and 6 which imply all the identities in degrees <= 6, and demonstrate the existence of further new identities in degree 7. our proofs depend on computer algebra: we use the representation theory of the symmetric group, the Hermite normal form of an integer matrix, the LLL algorithm for lattice basis reduction, and the Chinese remainder theorem. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Decay chain differential equations: Solution through matrix algebra

A matricial method to solve the decay chain differential equations system is presented. The quantity of each nuclide in the chain at a time t may be evaluated by analytical expressions obtained in a simple way using recurrence relations. This method may be applied to problems of radioactive buildup and decay and can be easily implemented computationally. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ScriptLattes: an open-source knowledge extraction system from the Lattes platform

The Lattes platform is the major scientific information system maintained by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). This platform allows to manage the curricular information of researchers and institutions working in Brazil based on the so called Lattes Curriculum. However, the public information is individually available for each researcher, not providing the automatic creation of reports of several scientific productions for research groups. It is thus difficult to extract and to summarize useful knowledge for medium to large size groups of researchers. This paper describes the design, implementation and experiences with scriptLattes: an open-source system to create academic reports of groups based on curricula of the Lattes Database. The scriptLattes system is composed by the following modules: (a) data selection, (b) data preprocessing, (c) redundancy treatment, (d) collaboration graph generation among group members, (e) research map generation based on geographical information, and (f) automatic report creation of bibliographical, technical and artistic production, and academic supervisions. The system has been extensively tested for a large variety of research groups of Brazilian institutions, and the generated reports have shown an alternative to easily extract knowledge from data in the context of Lattes platform. The source code, usage instructions and examples are available at http://scriptlattes.sourceforge.net/.

An expert flow system involving in-line prior assay for turbidimetric determination of chloride and sulphate in natural waters

A multi-pumping flow system exploiting prior assay is proposed for sequential turbidimetric determination of sulphate and chloride in natural waters. Both methods are implemented in the same manifold that provides facilities for: in-line sample clean-up with a Bio-Rex 70 mini-column with fluidized beads: addition of low amounts of sulphate or chloride ions to the reaction medium for improving supersaturation; analyte precipitation with Ba(2+) or Ag(+); real-time decision on the need for next assay. The sample is initially run for chloride determination, and the analytical signal is compared with a preset value. If higher, the sample is run again, now for sulphate determination. The strategy may lead to all increased sample throughput. The proposed system is computer-controlled and presents enhanced figures of merit. About 10 samples are run per hour (about 60 measurements) and results are reproducible and Unaffected by the presence of potential interfering ions at concentration levels usually found in natural waters. Accuracy was assessed against ion chromatography. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fuzzy Control System for Voltage Regulation In Power Transformers

A fuzzy control strategy for voltage regulation in electric power distribution systems is introduced in this article. This real-time controller would act on power transformers equipped with under-load tap changers. The fuzzy system was employed to turn the voltage-control relays into adaptive devices. The scope of the present study has been limited to the power distribution substation, and both the voltage measurements and control actions are carried out on the secondary bus. The capacity of fuzzy systems to handle approximate data, together with their unique ability to interpret qualitative information, make it possible to design voltage control strategies that satisfy both the requirements of the Brazilian regulatory bodies and the real concerns of the electric power distribution companies. A prototype based on the fuzzy control strategy proposed in this paper has also been implemented for validation purposes and its experimental results were highly satisfactory.

Automatic tuning method for the design of supplementary damping controllers for flexible alternating current transmission system devices

The design of supplementary damping controllers to mitigate the effects of electromechanical oscillations in power systems is a highly complex and time-consuming process, which requires a significant amount of knowledge from the part of the designer. In this study, the authors propose an automatic technique that takes the burden of tuning the controller parameters away from the power engineer and places it on the computer. Unlike other approaches that do the same based on robust control theories or evolutionary computing techniques, our proposed procedure uses an optimisation algorithm that works over a formulation of the classical tuning problem in terms of bilinear matrix inequalities. Using this formulation, it is possible to apply linear matrix inequality solvers to find a solution to the tuning problem via an iterative process, with the advantage that these solvers are widely available and have well-known convergence properties. The proposed algorithm is applied to tune the parameters of supplementary controllers for thyristor controlled series capacitors placed in the New England/New York benchmark test system, aiming at the improvement of the damping factor of inter-area modes, under several different operating conditions. The results of the linear analysis are validated by non-linear simulation and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedure.

Remote control of CNC machines using the CyberOPC communication system over public networks

During the last few years, the evolution of fieldbus and computers networks allowed the integration of different communication systems involving both production single cells and production cells, as well as other systems for business intelligence, supervision and control. Several well-adopted communication technologies exist today for public and non-public networks. Since most of the industrial applications are time-critical, the requirements of communication systems for remote control differ from common applications for computer networks accessing the Internet, such as Web, e-mail and file transfer. The solution proposed and outlined in this work is called CyberOPC. It includes the study and the implementation of a new open communication system for remote control of industrial CNC machines, making the transmission delay for time-critical control data shorter than other OPC-based solutions, and fulfilling cyber security requirements.

Leak detection by inverse transient analysis in an experimental PVC pipe system

Leakage reduction in water supply systems and distribution networks has been an increasingly important issue in the water industry since leaks and ruptures result in major physical and economic losses. Hydraulic transient solvers can be used in the system operational diagnosis, namely for leak detection purposes, due to their capability to describe the dynamic behaviour of the systems and to provide substantial amounts of data. In this research work, the association of hydraulic transient analysis with an optimisation model, through inverse transient analysis (ITA), has been used for leak detection and its location in an experimental facility containing PVC pipes. Observed transient pressure data have been used for testing ITA. A key factor for the success of the leak detection technique used is the accurate calibration of the transient solver, namely adequate boundary conditions and the description of energy dissipation effects since PVC pipes are characterised by a viscoelastic mechanical response. Results have shown that leaks were located with an accuracy between 4-15% of the total length of the pipeline, depending on the discretisation of the system model.

Expert system for the assessment of power transformer insulation condition based on type-2 fuzzy logic systems

An efficient expert system for the power transformer condition assessment is presented in this paper. Through the application of Duval`s triangle and the method of the gas ratios a first assessment of the transformer condition is obtained in the form of a dissolved gas analysis (DGA) diagnosis according IEC 60599. As a second step, a knowledge mining procedure is performed, by conducting surveys whose results are fed into a first Type-2 Fuzzy Logic System (T2-FLS), in order to initially evaluate the condition of the equipment taking only the results of dissolved gas analysis into account. The output of this first T2-FLS is used as the input of a second T2-FLS, which additionally weighs up the condition of the paper-oil system. The output of this last T2-FLS is given in terms of words easily understandable by the maintenance personnel. The proposed assessing methodology has been validated for several cases of transformers in service. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Thermodynamic self-consistency issues related to the Cluster Variation Method: The case of the BCC Cr-Fe (Chromium-Iron) system

The Cluster Variation Method (CVM), introduced over 50 years ago by Prof. Dr. Ryoichi Kikuchi, is applied to the thermodynamic modeling of the BCC Cr-Fe system in the irregular tetrahedron approximation, using experimental thermochemical data as initial input for accessing the model parameters. The results are checked against independent data on the low-temperature miscibility gap, using increasingly accurate thermodynamic models, first by the inclusion of the magnetic degrees of freedom of iron and then also by the inclusion of the magnetic degrees of freedom of chromium. It is shown that a reasonably accurate description of the phase diagram at the iron-rich side (i.e. the miscibility gap borders and the Curie line) is obtained, but only at expense of the agreement with the above mentioned thermochemical data. Reasons for these inconsistencies are discussed, especially with regard to the need of introducing vibrational degrees of freedom in the CVM model. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An RFID Bulk Cargo Supervising System

In this work, a system using active RFID tags to supervise truck bulk cargo is described. The tags are attached to the bodies of the trucks and readers are distributed in the cargo buildings and attached to weighs and the discharge platforms. PDAs with camera and support to a WiFi network are provided to the inspectors and access points are installed throughout the discharge area to allow effective confirmations of unload actions and the acquisition of pictures for future audit. Broadband radio equipments are used to establish efficient communication links between the weighs and cargo buildings which are usually located very far from each other in the field. A web application software was especially developed to enable robust communication between the equipments for efficient device management, data processing and reports generation to the operating personal. The system was deployed in a cargo station of a Brazilian seashore port. The obtained results prove the effectiveness of the proposed system.

Mock circulatory system for the evaluation of left ventricular assist devices, endoluminal prostheses, and vascular diseases

A new digital computer mock circulatory system has been developed in order to replicate the physiologic and pathophysiologic characteristics of the human cardiovascular system. The computer performs the acquisition of pressure, flow, and temperature in an open loop system. A computer program has been developed in Labview programing environment to evaluate all these physical parameters. The acquisition system was composed of pressure, flow, and temperature sensors and also signal conditioning modules. In this study, some results of flow, cardiac frequencies, pressures, and temperature were evaluated according to physiologic ventricular states. The results were compared with literature data. In further works, performance investigations will be conducted on a ventricular assist device and endoprosthesis. Also, this device should allow for evaluation of several kinds of vascular diseases.

SKAN: Skin Scanner - System for Skin Cancer Detection Using Adaptive Techniques

SKAN: Skin Scanner - System for Skin Cancer Detection Using Adaptive Techniques - combines computer engineering concepts with areas like dermatology and oncology. Its objective is to discern images of skin cancer, specifically melanoma, from others that show only common spots or other types of skin diseases, using image recognition. This work makes use of the ABCDE visual rule, which is often used by dermatologists for melanoma identification, to define which characteristics are analyzed by the software. It then applies various algorithms and techniques, including an ellipse-fitting algorithm, to extract and measure these characteristics and decide whether the spot is a melanoma or not. The achieved results are presented with special focus on the adaptive decision-making and its effect on the diagnosis. Finally, other applications of the software and its algorithms are presented.